A Randomized Controlled Trial of Health Literacy Activation Among the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients and Designated Support Dyad

Until recently, contemporary methods to chronic disease management have failed to consistently tailor approaches among patients with low health literacy. They have produced mixed results in terms of successful interventions to address the needs of these populations. Low health literacy is especially common in medically underserved communities, including in North Philadelphia. This is reflected in the predominantly low-income and racial/ethnic minority population of the patients at this medical center. Management of chronic conditions such as COPD is complex. Patients with low health literacy find it especially challenging to self-navigate disease management. However, there is a lack of information on approaches to improve health outcomes among COPD patients with low health literacy.

The long-term goal is to develop and evaluate a model of interventions to improve healthcare outcomes for socially disadvantaged populations. The objective is to pilot a randomized controlled trial that evaluates the effects of an intervention that provides enhanced education and material support, on adherence to care, among patients admitted for COPD-related issues and their home support dyad.

The central hypothesis is that: compared to the standard educational intervention delivered by a registered nurse, the addition of an enhanced intervention (enhanced education, problem-solving skills and facilitative support) and the inclusion of a patient-designated support pair will result in greater adherence care and improves quality of life, especially among patients with low health literacy.